With a Little Help from My Friends
by Shima2112
Summary: She looked at them, confused. "What? I don't get it..." Grovyle rolled his eyes fondly. "Isn't it obvious? We care about you. It doesn't matter what you've been through before; in that moment, all we wanted was for you to be safe." (PMD post-game AU. Through a dangerous encounter with an outlaw, Piplup realizes just how important she is to her team. Lots of fluff and silliness!)


**A/N:** Yo! I figured I'd upload this 'cause well, it's been done since forever and ever and I originally wrote it as part of a drabble challenge on tumblr. Someone asked for a drabble with the future trio and any ships I wanted, so here we are!

Also I'm using this as an excuse to upload more oneshots since I'm a loser and can never actually finish anything I write, so stuff I do finish is a rarity in itself...! I have to take the chance to upload the oneshots I actually manage to finish, ah! ;w;

This is a post game AU sort of thing, where the future trio travels back in time to be with the hero and partner! I added my team in (Piplup and Chimchar, Piplup is a girl and Chimchar's a boy).  
So since I'm a sucker for both Hero/Partner and Hero/Grovyle fluff, I put in a little bit of both. It's only slightly implied, though!

OKAY! Hope you all enjoy this goofiness, roll the chappy!

* * *

"Water Pulse!"

"Flamethrower!"

The two attacks collided and crashed into Beedrill at full blast, sending the Pokemon sprawling unconscious into the bushes nearby.

Piplup flipped through the air and landed neatly on her feet, Chimchar touching the ground seconds after. The Penguin Pokemon laughed and pumped a flipper up high, her eyes bright and energetic.

"Alright!"

Chimchar threw his arms up exuberantly. "Wooo! That was awesome! We showed him!"

"Looks like you two have been quite busy," a low voice echoed behind them. Suddenly a shape emerged, melting out of the shadows of the forest floor. The two smaller Pokemon whirled around in surprise, their faces lighting up when they recognized the floating phantom.

"Dusknoir!" They cried out happily, racing over to tackle the ghostly figure.

" _Oof_ ," Dusknoir grunted, managing to catch them both in his arms.

"We were wondering when you'd catch up," Chimchar chirped, being careful as to not burn Dusknoir with his flaming rear.

Piplup nodded in agreement before hopping down from the Gripper Pokemon's arms. "Yeah. Look at how much work we've gotten done already!" She gestured triumphantly at the ravaged battlefield that lay before them.

"Yes, I can see that, judging from the smoldering corpse of that outlaw over there."

Chimchar snorted and leaped down to touch the grass as well. "Don't call it a corpse! We didn't kill him."

"Not yet," Piplup added cheekily.

Chimchar shook his head at her, amused yet slightly horrified. "Don't joke about that!"

"Anyway, I apologize for the wait. We would have been here much sooner if Grovyle didn't insist on searching for extra supplies along the way."

"Don't blame me, you're the one who didn't pack for the trip accordingly. We had to waste time making up for that."

The trio turned to face the hero himself, who was scowling at Dusknoir as he stepped into the forest clearing. Celebi floated in behind him, her wings fluttering rapidly.

"Grovyle!" Piplup called joyfully.

Grovyle's golden eyes rested on her and he gave her a warm smile. "Hello, Piplup. I see you were successful in defeating the outlaw."

"It was easy!" Chimchar puffed out his chest confidently, his flame tail flaring out.

"See, Grovyle? I told you there was no need to worry. Those two are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves!" Celebi spoke, her green eyes dancing with amusement when Grovyle tensed and turned away, crossing his arms defensively.

"O-of course they can. I doubt there's any team stronger..."

Piplup couldn't help but smile at Grovyle's poorly hidden embarrassment. "You were worried?"

The green lizard sighed and fixed her with a look. "Naturally. Though I knew you two could handle it just fine."

"What's there to worry about? I even had the type advantage," Chimchar grinned, walking over to pick up his discarded Treasure Bag, which had been dislodged during the fight.

"I think it's sweet," Celebi giggled, her cheeks turning rosy.

"Weak," Dusknoir muttered fondly.

"What was that, Dusknoir? I recall you questioning whether they'd be aware of any tricks an outlaw can pull to escape," Grovyle teased.

"Wh—don't misunderstand! I was merely testing their knowledge! I had no concern for their safety." The Ghost type snapped, clearly caught off guard.

"Wow, Dusknoir. Thanks," Piplup said dryly, rolling her eyes. Dusknoir groaned and rubbed a hand across his face, mumbling under his breath.

"What about you guys? Were you able to rescue Phanpy?" Chimchar inquired curiously.

"Yep! He's safe now," Celebi answered.

Piplup looked around the clearing, noticing the scorch marks and puddles that had been created during the battle. She saw the twitching form of Beedrill buried in the bushes, and, with slight alarm, realized that she had yet to send him back to the Guild for proper arrest due to the excitement of their comrades joining them. The sounds of Chimchar and the others chatting faded into the background as she walked towards the fainted Bug-Type, pulling out her Explorer Badge in preparation for the warp back.

She did not expect the Poison Bee Pokemon to suddenly rise and strike without warning.

* * *

Chimchar and Celebi spoke animatedly to each other, recounting their experiences with their respective missions. Dusknoir floated around the clearing in search of any helpful items to add to their collection (because, despite his protests, he really was at fault for their lack of supplies, forgetting to restock before they left Treasure Town). Grovyle frowned, his sharp eyes scanning the undergrowth. Where had Piplup gone off to?

Before he could wonder any longer, a high-pitched shriek came from further into the trees. Chimchar and Grovyle dashed off the instant they'd heard it, with Celebi and Dusknoir right behind them. They knew that scream.

" _Piplup_!"

"Don't come any closer," a voice hissed out. Grovyle and Chimchar skidded to a stop, halting in their tracks. Dusknoir released a furious growl when he realized what was going on.

"You fiend...striking when you've already lost? Have you no pride?"

Beedrill sneered at him, keeping one of his twinneedles right up against Piplup's neck, who squirmed in his arms. He was battered and bruised from the battle, but he'd apparently had woken up sometime during the group's reunion and laid low, waiting for a chance to gain the upper hand.

"Piplup, are you alright?" Grovyle asked her, visibly concerned. Chimchar shifted his weight between his feet, a nervous habit he'd never gotten rid of.

"I'm fine," she responded, albeit nervously. "I'm sorry, guys. I should've been paying closer attention..."

"Shut up, brat! Or I'll end your life right here," the outlaw snapped, increasing the pressure on her neck. The blue Pokemon squealed, trying desperately to relieve the pain.

"Stop it! You're hurting her!" Chimchar cried out, barely managing to restrain himself from lashing forward. He didn't want Piplup to get caught in the attack as well.

"Don't you have any idea who she is? She practically saved the world. You should be thankful," Celebi spoke up, her eyes glimmering with anger.

"Who cares? Right now, she's my ticket to freedom. Don't get in my way, or this will be the last you see of her." Beedrill slowly began to back away, not releasing his hold on the small penguin for a second.

Piplup locked eyes with Grovyle. Her expression morphed into one of utmost determination. Immediately understanding what she was planning, he gave her an imperceptive nod. Chimchar and Dusknoir tensed, prepared to charge at any moment. Celebi floated down into a low hover.

It was amazing that, in moments like this, they all could sense each other's thoughts and emotions, almost as if they were invisibly tangled together like thread.

Piplup released a ferocious cry, quickly spinning into a Drill Peck and hitting Beedrill's arm dead on. The bee let out a surprised scream of pain, and, unable to keep his hold on Piplup, launched her out of his arms and into the air.

Immediately Chimchar and Dusknoir went in for the final attack, smashing Beedrill in the face with Fire Punch and Ice Punch respectively. Celebi shot forward like a pink comet, her Magical Leaf slicing through the Bug type as if he were made of paper. Unable to deal with the force of the attacks on his already weakened body, Beedrill catapulted back, slamming into a tree and falling into a crumpled heap amongst the leaves.

Grovyle leapt up and managed to snatch Piplup out of the air, yelling out a triumphant, "Got you!" before landing safely on the ground below.

"Oogh," Piplup groaned, dizzy from being tossed around like a rag doll. "Thanks."

Grovyle set her down gently and began to circle her, checking for any injuries.

"Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" The reptile asked, worry sparking in his eyes.

Chimchar sprinted over, letting out a dramatic cry and throwing his arms around the stunned Penguin Pokemon.

"Oh, Piplup! You're okay, right? I'm so glad!" He wailed, clinging to her tightly.

" _Huah_ ," she wheezed. "I'm—fine! Get off of me, you big lug!"

Chimchar backed off, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry."

"That was a close one," Celebi breathed, flying over to join them. Her eyes were bright with adrenaline.

"Indeed. You sure know how to get into dangerous situations, Piplup," Dusknoir added from over where he was securing Beedrill, not really caring if he roughed the Pokemon up a little during the process. He deserved it after what he'd just attempted.

"Yeah, well..." Piplup chuckled awkwardly.

Grovyle shook his head. He looked amused, but Piplup could still detect traces of fear deep within his expression. "Trouble is attracted to you, it seems."

"Unfortunately." Piplup exhaled. She gazed at all of her friends, who were all staring at her expectantly. Slowly her cheeks began to warm. "...What is it?"

Immediately Chimchar burst into laughter. "You're so weird! You weren't even phased by that!"

"You're a strange one," Dusknoir chuckled, finishing tying up the outlaw with a satisfied nod.

"What?! Oh, come on! I've been through enough crap already, that was nothing!" The penguin crossed her arms, huffing.

Grovyle smiled, a genuine one. "I'm just grateful you're alright."

"Me too!" Celebi chimed in, giggling merrily. "You sure gave us a scare."

"I've been through worse," Piplup shrugged.

"That's not the _point_ , you silly," Chimchar said, gently punching her arm.

She looked around at them, clearly confused. "What? I don't get it..."

Grovyle rolled his eyes fondly. "Isn't it obvious? We care about you. It doesn't matter what you've been through before; in that moment, all we wanted was for you to be safe."

"Yes," Dusknoir agreed, coughing into his arm afterward. He seemed embarrassed to admit it.

"O...oh," Piplup squeaked, her cheeks turning a darker shade of pink. "Um."

"Don't be so modest," Chimchar grinned, throwing an arm around her. "And don't pull a stunt like that ever again! I don't know what I'd do without you!"

"It wasn't _my_ fault!" She protested weakly.

"Doesn't matter! Next time, make sure you take one of us with you when you go to check on an outlaw, okay? If anything bad happened to you, I wouldn't be able to handle it," Chimchar said sincerely.

"He's right. No one could ever replace you," Grovyle spoke quietly, his eyes serious.

Piplup squirmed and stared down at her feet, embarrassed but also pleased. "You guys..."

Celebi coughed, efficiently interrupting the moment. "Alright! Let's get this rotten outlaw back to the Guild. We definitely have to tell Officer Magnezone what he tried to pull."

Dusknoir sighed with relief. Apparently he hadn't been able to deal with the mushy atmosphere going on either. "I agree. It's getting dark out, so we should return soon."

"Okay."

The sun dipped towards the horizon, casting a beautiful orange glow upon the forest. Piplup withdrew her Explorer Badge and, with a look at her dear and cherished friends, smiled and held it up to the sky.

 _Thanks, everyone._

"Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Thanks so much for reading, and please, feel free to drop a review! It would make my day~


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